Crête de la Lausetta from the Col de la Lombarde

de fr

A short, easy walk between France and Italy.
You'll find yourself trying to guess which country you're in as you walk along the ridge.
I've never crossed the border so many times in such a short space of time...
And you can admire the view of the two valleys below.

Details

n°2373109
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.22 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 192 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 193 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,375 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,212 m
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Photos

Orgials Valley

Description of the walk

Park at the Col de la Lombarde in the small dirt car park.

(S/E) Take the main path on the left, and don't forget to take in the view of the Orgials valley.
Continue along the wide, easy path to border marker 113.

(1) Turn right into the meadow, following the trail and the small cairns.
After a few metres, you will find a small path leading downhill.
Follow the path to the intersection of a track.

(2) Turn right and climb up the hairpin bend.
Follow the path, which narrows after passing a house on the right.
Continue straight ahead on the path until you return to Col de Lombardie (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,347 m - Small dirt car park at > - Col de la Lombarde
  2. 1 : km 2.59 - alt. 2,288 m - Border marker 113
  3. 2 : km 3.39 - alt. 2,212 m - Trail junction
  4. S/E : km 5.22 - alt. 2,347 m - Small dirt car park at the Lombardie pass.

Notes

An easy walk that can be done at a leisurely pace.
Taken in the opposite direction, it becomes a little more physically demanding due to the fairly steep climb to the ridge.
Bring a light jumper or windbreaker, as once you reach the ridge, the wind can quickly chill you, even in bright sunshine.
Not essential but worth bringing along: binoculars...

Worth a visit

During the hike, you will hear marmots calling to each other. With a little luck, patience and a pair of binoculars, you may be lucky enough to see them.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 7826260

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb short hike in autumn with magnificent colours.
The only slight difficulty is finding point 1. The way back is not visible; you can only see a cairn in the distance. With the app on your phone, the problem disappears.

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CARO LM
CARO LM

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent, very easy ridge trail! It overlooks two valleys, with one foot in Italy and the other in France! Alpine pastures, minerals, wildlife (chamois, marmots... and cows!), picnics... In short, whether you have two hours or a whole day (return trip on the same trail: you can stop whenever you want to return to your vehicle), you'll be in heaven!

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Jojo06300
Jojo06300

Hike in August 2024, pleasant hike with a superb view of Sant'Anna di Vinadio, which you can reach by continuing the hike. There is a significant elevation gain, so bring water. Given the altitude, there is no shade, so bring a hat and sunscreen.

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Laure de Peypin
Laure de Peypin

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did not find boundary marker 113. We continued along the main path, marked with Italian signage, which offered superb views.

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Jojo06300
Jojo06300

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike starting from Col de la Lombarde, with little elevation gain. We were lucky enough to spot a chamois.

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lababs
lababs

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route that is very easy to follow, whether you are with children or dogs (this hike is not within the Mercantour National Park).
We had the opportunity to observe typical mountain wildlife (various insects, marmots).
We didn't meet anyone on the first part of the route, but the second part was busier.
At the start/finish point, there is a refreshment bar where you can relax for a while before setting off again.

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Papiluc06
Papiluc06
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route offering views over the entire valley and surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, the route is poorly signposted, particularly at the point where you need to turn off to find your way back. It's a shame, as we ended up retracing our steps!

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goulvefa
goulvefa

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The directions were perfect.

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glaciers
glaciers

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike with spectacular scenery...
Best enjoyed in good weather...

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